Legislative Council Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1) 55 1 Parliament of South Australia Legislative Council published Question Time Ministerial Statutory Responsibilities Ministerial Statutory Responsibilities The Hon. H.M. GIROLAMO Legislative Council Deputy Leader of the Opposition Ministerial Statutory Responsibilities The Hon. H.M. GIROLAMO (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (16:27): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Primary Industries on the topic of statutory responsibilities. Leave granted. The Hon. H.M. GIROLAMO Legislative Council Deputy Leader of the Opposition The Hon. H.M. GIROLAMO: Under the SA Fisheries Management Act 2007, the Minister for Primary Industries has clear statutory responsibility for managing and regulating commercial, recreational and Aboriginal traditional fishing; ensuring the ecologically sustainable development of fishery resources; setting and enforcing total allowable catches and quotas; issuing and managing fishing licences and permits; overseeing fishery management plans, which must include sustainability objectives; and supporting the recovery and rebuilding of fish stocks when they are depleted. Freedom of information documents obtained by the opposition reveal that the minister declined a referral from the Deputy Premier concerning correspondence which raised concerns about the apparent decline in the health of local fisheries and sought information on, and I quote: How the SA government is intending to support the regeneration of marine ecosystems in the region. My question to the minister is: given the minister's statutory responsibility for the ecologically sustainable development of fishery resources and the recovery and rebuilding of depleted fish stocks, how can the minister justify declining to take carriage of this matter? Can she confidently say she is fulfilling her statutory duties? The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN Legislative Council Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development Minister for Forest Industries The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (16:28): I thank the honourable member for her question. As I alluded to earlier in this question time, as the algal bloom continues to develop and evolve, obviously the response that needs to come from different departments in regard to different aspects of the bloom continues also to evolve and develop. In the $28 million package is included funding for further research. It includes funding for specific stock assessments. Normally, for the benefit of those opposite, stock assessments occur at particular intervals. Obviously, given the significant impact on a large number of species from this algal bloom, it's imperative that we do access that information far sooner than would be the case in a normal cycle of stock assessments. All of that work continues, and we continue to be able to learn as much as we can and, indeed, share that with others around the world who are also keen to better understand algal blooms in the current environment.